I Made a Browser-Based HEIF File Viewer!
So, as many in the tech world know, Apple recently switched to a new photo format for their iDevices with iOS 11 forward. While the new format is vastly superior to JPG, it was all but entirely incompatible with Windows programs. However, thanks to a college class in JavaScript, I managed to download and jury-rig the official HEIF format website into a file reader! It seems Chrome/Edge are incompatible as of this writing, so thus far only Firefox seems to work.
Here's a link to the program: https://mega.nz/#!9xwWgCSA!6G3mvAjN_zB7iYzhVEkuGsulNjPFCsoZubSfpUTHQw4
This is far from a perfect viewer, so I plan to keep working on and rewriting the program as necessary (#1 on the agenda would be compatibility with more browsers). In the meantime, though, have fun with the program!
UPDATE 1/3/2018: I've run a direct copy of the website on other browsers, and apparently Chrome (and presumably the other browsers) somehow can't load the special images because of their local "file://" URL, meaning it would have to be uploaded to a server and gotten through HTTP first--which rather defeats the point of having a local program, so it seems the program only works on Firefox for the foreseeable future.
UPDATE 5/16/2020: After seeing that the viewer no longer works on Firefox now (as it similarly requires HTTP), I've revisited the main HEIF website and noticed that the source code has been updated to read that “Copying, including reproducing, storing, adapting or translating, any or all of this material requires the prior written consent of Nokia.” In light of this change, I've opted to take down the viewer, though that's definitely for the best, as Windows and other programs have caught up with HEIF in the last two and a half years.
Here's a link to the program: https://mega.nz/#!9xwWgCSA!6G3mvAjN_zB7iYzhVEkuGsulNjPFCsoZubSfpUTHQw4
This is far from a perfect viewer, so I plan to keep working on and rewriting the program as necessary (#1 on the agenda would be compatibility with more browsers). In the meantime, though, have fun with the program!
UPDATE 1/3/2018: I've run a direct copy of the website on other browsers, and apparently Chrome (and presumably the other browsers) somehow can't load the special images because of their local "file://" URL, meaning it would have to be uploaded to a server and gotten through HTTP first--which rather defeats the point of having a local program, so it seems the program only works on Firefox for the foreseeable future.
UPDATE 5/16/2020: After seeing that the viewer no longer works on Firefox now (as it similarly requires HTTP), I've revisited the main HEIF website and noticed that the source code has been updated to read that “Copying, including reproducing, storing, adapting or translating, any or all of this material requires the prior written consent of Nokia.” In light of this change, I've opted to take down the viewer, though that's definitely for the best, as Windows and other programs have caught up with HEIF in the last two and a half years.
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